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The rooms were dark but clean and fully air... - Review of Riad Dar Sara

We started our Marrekech trip here and organised it through Marrekech riads in advance, it was very tranquil and beautiful in the middle of the bustling old city (Medina) its about a 15min walk to main square. We arrived late at night and were served fresh orange juice and morrocan style pastries - we assumed the orange juice had been freshly squeezed from the orange tree in the central courtyard. The rooms were dark but clean and fully air conditioned. Breakfast the next day was lovely, fresh juices, jams and roti breads. Next we had organised a cookery course through Marrekech riads and were taught how to cook a tagine by an old Morrocan lady - they even provided a translator - we helped where we could and finally got to eat our gorgeous cooking for lunch. Highly recommened and very helpful.

This place is a disaster – or was for us! It is certainly not a hotel in which to end a long trip and leave with a positive experience with riads. The place is dark, dirty, depressing and totally without service and hospitality. We seriously considered moving out the day we arrived. In the end we decided to be flexible – and stay.

Some examples. Dirty carpet in room. Shower not cleaned. Safe that doesn’t work. Dark even for a riad. One tiny bar of soap. Almost impossible to get in and out of bed except by crawling to the foot of the bed. Sagging mattress. No one around to provide even minimal service – it is as if we were staying in a deserted house. Dirty covers left on the poolside lounge chairs after used by others. The central area fountain is dry and uninviting. Worst breakfast on the trip – meager. When we asked for more than two small pieces of cheese we were met with great annoyance. We can go on and on – but you get the idea. And when you compare this dismal place with the super experiences we had at other riads and hotels during our almost three weeks in Morocco – it makes this place seem even worse. PS. WE TOOK A SHOWER TO FIND OUT AFTER USING THEM THAT THE DIRTY TOWELS THAT WE USED THE DAY BEFORE AND LEFT ON THE FLOOR WERE PICKED UP, FOLDED AND PRESENTED AS CLEAN.

Room Tip: We were in one of the best rooms in the riad.

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Stayed July 2011, traveled as a couple

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Ask nbeinhac about Riad Dar Sara

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

I really appreciated the somewhat spare decor here--a beautiful place to rest after being out all day looking at beautifully (over)decorated trinkets and buildings. The restoration sensibility is great (don't make anything too flashy), and my room was very comfortable.

I noticed in the review just behind mine that they complained about being put in the adjoining "servants" house. I was here one night (it's called Dar Sara Srira), and I actually preferred it, as the rooms are much more private--they're all one flight up, with their own private terrace area, rather than opening right onto the public courtyard. My room the next night in Dar Sara proper was a tiny bit bigger, but I had to keep all the windows shut for privacy, and this was a bit unfortunate. (But there are also upstairs rooms at Dar Sara, and these are nice as well.)

The pool at Dar Sara is small but great to look at, though it's just off the dining room and I didn't want to be taking a dip while people were eating. But that didn't seem to stop other folks. For my money, I was much happier over in Dar Sara Srira and Dar Baraka (I did a lot of hopping around!), because I wasn't paying for the pool I didn't use.

Also, I found the breakfast quite nice--probably the best of all the hotels I stayed at on my two-and-a-half-week trip. Every day there was a different fresh juice, and the various Moroccan breads were all very nicely prepared.

It's true that the staff are not springing up to greet you and help with things--most of the time, they're completely out of sight, so you feel like the house is all yours. And English is not top on the fluency list. But I was always able to find someone when I had a question.

This riad has beautiful, almost honeymoon caliber rooms, but that's really the only positive. When we arrived, there was no check in process and no one seemed to know we were coming. We paid for a room in the Riad Dar Sara, but we were placed in the much lower quality "servants" house behind it. I complained to the manager who tried to unsuccessfully convince me there was no difference. Customer care is non existent from the management. But the ladies who clean the rooms are amazingly wonderful. Too bad they don't manage the place. The food was basic bread and juice, and grnerally underwhelming. The breakfast was just enough to sustain you, but its bland. I would not recommend this Riad if you seek a vacation experience. It was just a decent place to sleep, nothing more.

Stayed May 2011

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Ask Angel60615 about Riad Dar Sara

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15 min walk from the main square. the staff are friendly and have good english. We had 2 rooms one of them had stagnant smell due to poor ventilation. The rooms aslo are poorly lit due to style of decoration and are small have to climb from the foot end of the bed. Breakfast is standard. If booking a taxi through riad would recommend to get them to email you the quote as had to pay double the quote as were checking out early and the receptionist could not contact the person we had spoken with when booking from uk. Would recommend but do bargain on rates.

Stayed December 2010, traveled with family

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Ask brimeeds about Riad Dar Sara

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The service was great, the location is convenient, with better signage showing the location than the one for Dar Zitouna. The last section of the alley leading there was very dark and narrow, I would recommend a flashlight for the evening outings. It is a smoking location and when people smoke in the courtyard keeping the windows open is not an option for the rooms around it.

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Also Known As:

Riad Dar Sara Hotel Marrakech

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